August 25, 2008 6:12 am

UPDATE: East and West Cafe at the Tacoma Mall, which has been closed for remodeling, has set a date to re-open: Friday Sept. 5. The news comes from new manager Toi Britton, a former TNT staffer and a friend of East and West owner Vien Floyd.

Fans of the East and West Cafe on Tacoma Mall Boulevard have been wondering why the Asian eatery has been closed this summer.

The answer: a back-to-the future change in management, and a remodel.

East and West founder Vien Floyd, 72, says she tried to retire, and turned the restaurant’s operation over to her son last year. But he decided the business wasn’t for him, and Floyd missed it.

So Floyd is coming back, with a new and improved kitchen and restaurant. She hopes to reopen some time in September.

A sign on the restaurant’s front door promises a return to "the same Vietnamese cooks and service you have come to expect over the past 15 years."

Meanwhile, fans of the Proctor District East and West can enjoy Floyd-influenced cuisine. But the restaurant is now operated by a niece and her husband.